When creating molecular presentations, one common challenge is effectively highlighting changes or dynamics in a visually intuitive way. If you’re looking to gradually hide certain atoms or bonds in your molecular model for better storytelling or targeted presentation, the Conceal atoms animation in SAMSON offers a solution.
What is the Conceal Atoms Animation?
The Conceal atoms animation allows you to progressively hide selected atoms and their connecting bonds between two frames. Unlike adjusting transparency, this approach controls the actual visibility of the nodes, creating a smooth disappearance effect that can be used in diverse contexts, such as presentations or simulations. Whether revealing other key molecular structures or guiding an audience’s attention, this animation effect provides better focus and visual storytelling.
Interestingly, the visibility changes depend on the placement of the atoms in the selection, meaning that the order in which you choose the elements impacts the animation’s progression. This adds control and flexibility to your animation workflow.
How to Add the Conceal Atoms Animation
Here’s how you can use this animation effectively within your model:
- First, identify the atoms and bonds you’d like to make disappear. You can do this with SAMSON’s selection tools.
- Next, open the Animation panel in the Animator module. From here, simply double-click on the Conceal atoms effect to add it to the timeline.
- Now, you will see the animation setup consisting of 4 keyframes:
- Keyframes 1 to 2: The selected atoms and bonds remain fully visible.
- Keyframes 2 to 3: Atoms and bonds progressively disappear based on the node order in the selection.
- Keyframes 3 to 4: All selected atoms and bonds are completely hidden.
Precise Adjustments with Keyframes
You can move the keyframes on the animation timeline to precisely control the duration of each phase. This is particularly useful when synchronizing with other animations or aligning with specific presentation milestones. The flexibility to adjust keyframes makes it possible to fine-tune the animation for optimal storytelling.
Boosting Visual Appeal with Easing Curves
To make your concealment effects even more visually engaging, SAMSON enables you to modify interpolation parameters using an Easing curve. This allows you to control the transition speed between frames—whether you want a smooth fade-out or a more abrupt disappearance, it’s just a matter of changing the easing settings.
Examples of Conceal Atoms in Action
Want to see the Conceal atoms animation in real use? Explore these sample presentations available on SAMSON Connect:
Conclusion
In summary, the Conceal atoms animation is a powerful tool for molecular modelers who want to emphasize specific structures, improve visual storytelling, and create polished presentations. Its ease of use and flexibility make it an essential animation effect in the SAMSON platform.
To delve deeper into the detailed steps and advanced settings, visit the detailed documentation on this feature here: https://documentation.samson-connect.net/users/latest/animations/conceal-atoms/.
Note: SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. Download SAMSON at https://www.samson-connect.net.